Historical Wyoming County October 1958 - Old Fulton History

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Page 24 October 1958 HISTORICALLY SPEAKING (cont.) Following the Strykersville celebration, the Town of Castile celebrated its 150th birthday, July 18-20, when large crowds thronged the village to observe and participate in various activities. Friday evening's Old Timer's parade was generally conceded to have been one of the outstanding parades of its type throughout this area. A guest of honor was Mrs. Abrams Byrd, great-great-granddaughter of Mary Jemison, a resident of Washington, D. C., who made her first visit to the land where her distinguished ancestor resided through a long and useful career. She rode with other distinguished guests before an estimated 10,000 persons who lined the streets to witness the hour-long parade. Events of the celebration included a fish fry for over 700, and a chicken barbecue enjoyed by 998 persons, with the usual beardjudging, sports events, dances, band concerts, and children's day features. Saturday evening a pageant from an outdoor stage in the village park presented in ten scenes the highlights of Castile's history. It was a finished and professional production and a fitting addition to the annual Mary Jemison pageant which has been given for some years in Letchworth Park by the Castile Historical Society. The churches of the community noted the observance in special services Sunday morning, and at 3 P» M. the Castile Historical House was dedicated, a gift from Mrs. John E. Eddy in memory of her husband. A plaque in front of the house identifies the museum and research center where a large collection of heirlooms has been gathered by the society during its six years of energetic activity. A souvenir booklet, well illustrated, is available through the society. Throughout the summer, the Museum of the Attica Historical Society was opened to the public and a series of special exhibitions shown. Events scheduled for the autumn months included the annual meeting, September 22, and an afternoon gathering, October 5th, at which Lloyd Graham, Buffalo, Historian and author, was the guest speaker. Mrs. Robert Lunge, Warsaw, Rc D., has been named historian for the Town of Orangeville, replacing the late Mrs. Ethel A. M. Tozier. At the 1818 annual meeting of the freeholders of the Town of Sheldon, it was "Voted that any man who owns a farm in this town and Shall be Shown a.Canada thistle or burdock and Shall not cut it off to the ground Shall pay fifty cents and that he Shall go when Notified or pay the like sum." Public finances have often traveled a rough road as witness a decision of those gathered at the annual Town of Sheldon Town Meeting, March 1, I83I, when it was "Voted the Town loose one Dollar bad money that failed in the hands of the Commissioners."
October 1958 Page 2 5 P I O N E E R FLAX The pioneer usually had a small patch in the garden or elsewhere, and when ripe in the fall, it was pulled and placed upon the ground where it remained for some time to rot. If the season were damp, the woody portion rotted and the fiber became pliable in a few weeks. If the farmer wished to save seed, he pulled it carefully by the roots and tied it into small bundles which he left on the ground a day or two to dry. It was then set up in small shocks, and after drying a fortnight or more,and dry,the seeds were threshed out. The stocks were placed in water a week or more, then spread out upon the grass to be rotted, just as was the custom when the seed was not used. After the woody portion was rotted, the flax was gathered up, and packed away for the winter unless the family was in need of a fresh supply of linen. During the winter or early spring the flax was dressed. The first operation In this process was braking, which was done by means of a homemade implement called a flax brake, used to bruise the woody part in order to separate it from the fiber. After separation, the fiber was swingled, which was done by beating it with a wooden paddle called a swingling-knife. In this operation all the woody part was removed, after which it was ready to be turned over to the women, as all the work up to the carding or hatcheling process was usually done by the men and boys. The hatchel (an instrument made of nail rods with pointed teeth about 6 inches in length, seven rows with 12 in a row, all homemade and in various patterns) was brought and fastened to a chair with a string or stick, and the mother, with a handkerchief tied about her neck and head to keep off dust, sat in another chair. Winding one end of the flax tightly around the fingers of the right hand to hold it, she drew the flax through the hatchel or comb, till it was thoroughly combed; changing,she combed in a similar manner the other end. Hatcheling took out the short and broken portions called tow, which was used for making coarser cloth, twine and rope. When the flax had been combed sufficiently, which was often many times, since the fineness of the fibers determined the quality of the cloth, it was put upon the distaff and spun upon the little wheel, an instrument about 20 inches in diameter and operated by the foot resting upon a treadle. It usually had two grooves in the circumference, one to receive the band to drive the flier, the other to drive the spool with quicker motion to receive the thread. Bleaching linen reouired considerable work. For the finer shirts 3O-I1O bleachings were necessary besides that originally done to the skeins of thread. Warm water was used for 3—II days to soak the skeins, frequently changed, and the skeins being rung out, were then washed in clear water. Next, they were treated with ashes and hot water over and over again, and finally placed in clear water for a week or so. On being taken out of this they were seethed,rinsed, beaten, washed, dried, and finally wound on bobbins for the loom. Bleaching was sometimes done with slaked lime and buttermilk instead of ashes. The skeins were spun, and then the cloth spread in the sun, being frequently sprinkled with water. Sometimes this took weeks. --Adapted from R.M.Tryon, Household Manufactures in the United States, lfeii0-1860.
Page 1 and 2: i,
Page 3 and 4: October 1958 Page 2 5 THE LETCHWORT
Page 5 and 6: October 1958 Page 2 5 THE LETCHWORT
Page 7 and 8: October 1958 Pag e 2 5 THE LETCHWOR
Page 9 and 10: October 1958 LETCHWORTH RIFLES (con
Page 11 and 12: October 1958 Page 2 5 ... ... State
Page 13 and 14: October 1958 Page 2 5 Decades at "T
Page 15 and 16: October 1958 Page 2 5 DECADES AT TH
Page 17 and 18: October 1958 Page 2 5 CIVIL WAR ROL
Page 19 and 20: October 1958 Page 2 5 A FORTY-NINER
Page 21 and 22: October 1958 Page 2 5 18o5 Farm Pro
Page 23: October 1958 Page 2 5 Historically
Page 27 and 28: October 1958 Page 2 5 MILESTONES (o
Page 29 and 30: October 1958 Page 2 5 WYOMING VILLA
Page 31 and 32: October 1958 Page 2 5 BEEBE WYOMING
Page 33 and 34: I Vol. XII No. 2 By Horry S. Dougla

Historical Wyoming County October 1958 - Old Fulton History

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?